Yarn processing apparatus

ABSTRACT

In an improved apparatus and method for simultaneously drawing a plurality of spaced-apart yarns and thereafter combining said yarns along their length to form a yarn bundle, at least one yarn guide having at least two yarn contacting elements is positioned between adjacent roll sets in the pathway of the yarn being drawn between the roll sets for maintaining each of said yarns between the roll sets at spaced-apart preselected relative locations.

I United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,781,953 Stegelman Jan. 1, 1974 [54] YARN PROCESSING APPARATUS 3,026,167 3/1962 Hofmann et al. 28/595 3,099,064 7/1963 Ha n88 [751 Inventor: Albert Siegelma"! Greenvue 3,175,027 3/1965 Wh alon et al. -28/7l.3 3,460,336 8/1969 Collingwood 61 al... .57/140 By 2,398,787 4/1946 11255611 6161; ..1T;28759. 5 [73] Assgnee' gg' 'g gf gig' Company 3,164,882 1 1965 ROSfiflStClfl 6161 ..28/1.6

[22] Filed A r 26 1972 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS p 42 9093 5/1967 Japan 28 713 [211 App]. No.: 247,523 43 15576 7/1968 Japan..... 264/168 521 U.S. c1 28/713, 28/] .6, 57/90, Primary Examiner-Jay 264/103, 264/29O Attorney-Qwgg & Oberlm [51] Int. Cl. D02j 1/22 [58] Field of Search 264/290, 103; 57/90; [57] ABSTRACT 28/713 In an improved apparatus and method for simultaneously drawing a plurality of spaced-apart yarns and [56] References C'ted thereafter combining said yarns along their length to UNITED STATES PATENT form a yarn bundle, at least one yarn guide having at 2.016.391 10/1935 Riley et al. 264/210 F least two y Contacting elements is Positioned 3.022.132 2/1962 Shaw 264/210 F tween adjacent roll sets in the pathway of the yarn 3,555,808 l/l97l Gutmann.... 264/2l0 F being drawn between the roll sets for maintaining each 2 1 12/1940 f y- 57/36 of said yarns between the roll sets at spaced-apart pre- 2,323,991 7/1943 Hahn 57/90 Selected relative locations 2,509.741 5/1950 Miler 28/713 2,882,675 4/1959 Tingas 57/75 3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures IO 28\ g H 7 8 14 g T Q u i Q l2 9 S Q LAG 4 J YARN PROCESSING APPARATUS It has been discovered that the hand, appearance, and characteristics of a resultant yarn bundle formed of a plurality of yarns having different characteristics can be altered and controlled by controlling the relative locations of the yarns in the formed bundle.

In summary, this invention therefore resides in a method and apparatus for maintaining each of the yarns between the roll sets of yarn drawing apparatus at spaced-apart preselected relative locations for controlling the relative position of the yarns in a yarn bundle formed downstream of the roll sets.

Other aspects, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a study of the disclosure, the appended claims, and the drawings.

The drawings are diagrammatic views of example yarn drawing and accumulating apparatus with the improvement of this invention.

FIG. 1 shows a plan view of the yarn drawing and accumulating apparatus and the yarn guide of this invention,

FIG. 2 shows a frontal view of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the accumulating apparatus, and

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the yarn guide.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality of yarn packages 2, 4, 6 provide supply sources for the continuous yarns that subsequently form the yarn bundle 8. Each of the first, second, and third continuous yarns 10, 12, 14 pass from their respective packages 2, 4, 6, through eyelet guide bar 7 about a first set of rolls 16, from said first roll set 16 to a second roll set 18 spaced from said first roll set 16, about said second roll set 18, and from said second roll set 18 through an accumulating apparatus 20.

As known in the art, each of the yarns is generally wrapped at spaced-apart locations a plurality of times about each roll set l6, 18, are heated by one or more of the rolls and a roll of each roll set is driven by power means, such as electric motors 22, 24 at relatively different speeds for simultaneously drawing the yarns 10, l2, 14 between the roll sets. Draw rolls such as roll sets 16, 18 operated under controlled heat will have a temperature profile along their length making it desirable to maintain yarns passing over the roll sets l6, 18 in a substantially fixed location for controlling the heating of each yarn and to give each yarn a constant heat history. The drawn yarns 10, 12, 14 pass from the second roll set 18 through an accumulating apparatus adapted to bring the plurality of yarns l0, l2, 14 together to form the yarn bundle 8. The accumulating apparatus 20 can be a curved roll, false twist spindle, texturing jet, ring guide, a yarn twister, or the like.

It should be understood that there can be two or more yarns used with the apparatus and method of this invention and that three yarns are utilized only for descriptive purposes.

At least one yarn guide 26 is fixedly positioned between adjacent roll sets 16, 18 in the pathway of the yarns l0, 12, 14 passing between the roll sets 16;, 18. It should be understood that a plurality of yarn guides 26 can be utilized where the distance between the first and second roll sets '16, 18 is sufficiently large so as to allow the yarns to rove over the length of the second roll set 18 during the operation thereof. In addition, where there are more than two roll sets, one or more yarn guides 26 can be positioned between adjacently positioned roll sets.

The yarn guide 26 has at least two smooth surfaced spaced-apart yarn contacting elements 28 maintained thereon and extending outwardly therefrom. At least a portion of the contacting elements 28 are laterally spaced on the yarn guide 26 a distance from the axis 21 of the accumulating element 20, as shown in FIG. 3. The contacting elements 28 are each positioned at substantially the same elevation and in contact with a separate one of the yarns 10, 12, 14 passing between the roll sets l6, 18 for maintaining each of said yarns at spacedapart locations one from the other between the roll sets 16, 18.

Where one of the yarns, for example the third yarn 14, passes from the first roll set 16 to the second roll set 18 along a pathway substantially on a plane passing through the axis of the accumulating apparatus 20, a yarn contacting element 28 for that particular yarn can be eliminated owing to the fact that forces are not acting on said yarn which will cause said yarn .to rove along the axis of the roll set 18 and thereby become relatively oriented at different locations along the length of the resultant yarn bundle 8. Each yarn spaced from said plane should have an associated yarn contacting element for maintaining said yarn from roving along the second roll set 18. However, in order to assure maintaining of the yarns 10, 12, 14 at preselected, spaced-apart, relative positions between the roll sets 16, 18, it is preferred that there is provided a separate yarn contacting element 28 for each yarn passing said yarn guide 26. By so providing a contacting element 28 for each yarn, the flexibility of the apparatus is improved and string-up operations where the accumulating apparatus 20 is moved to other relative locations can be accomplished with less labor.

In order to provide a yarn contacting element 28 that is sufficiently smooth to prevent damage or undesirable changes in the yarn passing in contact therewith yet be relatively inexpensive and durable, it is preferred that the contacting elements 28 be of cylindrical configuration and be formed of ceramic material.

It is also preferred that at least a portion, preferably all, of the contacting elements 28 each comprise first and second cylindrical elements each set of which are spaced one from the other a distance in the range of about one time the diameter of the associated yarn to about five times the diameter of said yarn and have a height of at least about four times the diameter of the yarn. At distances less than about one time the diameter of the associated yarn, the yarn when passing between the set of elements may be excessively nipped causing defects and at distances greater than about five times the diameter of the yarn, said yarn will rove to an extent that its relative location in the yarn bundle 8 will excessively and undesirably vary. At heights less than about four times the diameter of the yarn, said yarn becomes difficult to string up and may be jumped over the upper end of the associated element 28.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the yarn guide 26 of this invention. In this embodiment, the yarn guide is positioned in the pathway of the yarns 10, 12, 14 between the roll sets l6, 18. The yarn guide 26 has a plurality of spaced-apart, smooth surfaced openings 30 for the passage of a separate yarn through an associated opening. Such openings can be eyelets but are not limited to a round configuration. The opening surface 32 can be formed of a smoothness sufficient to prevent damage of the yarn passing therethrough. In another embodiment, ceramic inserts 34 extend through the yarn guide 26 with each insert 34 having a smooth surfaced opening 36 extending therethrough for the passage of a yarn therethrough.

For the reasons described above, the openings 30 or 36 should have a diameter in the range of about one time the diameter of the yarn associated therewith to about five times the diameter of said yarn.

In the method of this invention, a plurality of yarns 10, 12, 14 one from the other pass from their respective packages 2, 4, 6 and are drawn between the spacedapart first and second roll sets 16, 18. The yarns l0, l2, l4 thereafter pass from the second roll set 18 through an accumulating apparatus 20 for accumulating the yarns 10, 12, 14 in contacting relationship along their length thereby forming a yarn bundle 8.

In the directing of the yarns 10, 12, 14 from their spaced-apart locations on the second roll set through the accumulating apparatus 20, lateral forces are subjected upon the yarns in a direction toward the axis of the accumulating apparatus 20. These forces, during the operation of the apparatus, cause the yarns 10, l2, 14 for example, to rove across the length of the second roll set in a direction generally toward the plane of the accumulator axis 21. This roving action permits an individual yarn to overwrap adjacent yarns thereby giving the overwrapping yarn a non-uniform heat history and causing the yarn 8 to be non-uniform in color when the accumulated yarn is textured and interlaced or twisted.

By providing the yarn guide 26 of this invention, the contacting elements 28 of the guide 26 urge each yarn in a direction generally opposed to the direction of the force exerted on said yarn by the accumulating apparatus 20. The separate yarns between the roll sets are thereby maintained at spaced-apart, preselected, relative locations. By so maintaining the yarns between the roll sets, the relative position of each yarn in the resultant yarn bundle 8 is controlled and maintained.

By the use of the method and apparatus of this invention, the color characteristics of the resultant yarn bundle can be controlled to a higher uniformity thereby preventing the formation of yarn bundles comprised of a plurality of yarns of more than one color which when utilized in the manufacture of carpet for example would produce undesirable streaks, color sequences, color combinations, and areas of undesirable hand.

Other modifications and alterations of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing discussion and accompanying drawing, and it should be understood that this invention is not to be unduly limited thereto.

What is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus for simultaneously drawing and thereafter accumulating a plurality of yarns, said apparatus having at least two spaced-apart sets of draw rolls, said yarns each passing from a yarn package, about the rolls at spaced-apart locations relative one to the other, and thereafter through means for bringing a plurality of yarns together to form a yarn bundle, the improvement comprising:

at least one yarn guide positioned between adjacent roll sets in the pathway of the yarns passing between the roll sets, said guide having at least two sets of smooth, spaced-apart fixed yarn contacting elements with at least a portion of the contacting elements being laterally spaced from the means and said sets of elements of each being at substantially the same elevation and in contact with a separate one of the yarns passing between the roll sets for contacting and maintaining each of said yarns at spaced-apart locations one from the other between said roll sets, said elements of each set being of cylindrical configuration and spaced one from the other in the range of one to five times the diameter of the associated yarn.

2. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the yarn contacting elements are formed of ceramic.

3. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the members have a height of at least about four times the diameter of the yarn.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No, 3,781,953 at8d= Jaziuarg; l, 1971 Albert F. Stegelman It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1,; line 27, after "elements" delete "of".

Signed and sealed this 23rd day" pf April 197A (SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD MJ LETCHEILJR. G. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer] Commissioner 'of Patent 

1. In an apparatus for simultaneously drawing and thereafter accumulating a plurality of yarns, said apparatus having at least two spaced-apart sets of draw rolls, said yarns each passing from a yarn package, about the rolls at spaced-apart locations relative one to the other, and thereafter through means for bringing a plurality of yarns together to form a yarn bundle, the improvement comprising: at least one yarn guide positioned between adjacent roll sets in the pathway of the yarns passing between the roll sets, said guide having at least two sets of smooth, spaced-apart fixed yarn contacting elements with at least a portion of the contacting elements being laterally spaced from the means and said sets of elements of each being at substantially the same elevation and in contact with a separate one of the yarns passing between the roll sets for contacting and maintaining each of said yarns at spaced-apart locations one from the other between said Roll sets, said elements of each set being of cylindrical configuration and spaced one from the other in the range of one to five times the diameter of the associated yarn.
 2. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the yarn contacting elements are formed of ceramic.
 3. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the members have a height of at least about four times the diameter of the yarn. 